Dublin Airport New Runway/Infrastructure.

LXFlyer

737max wrote: »

T2 is written on the check-in notifications which I received and initial booking confirmation. Received absolutely no indication from Aer Lingus that I should go to T1 and the arrival flight brought me through T2 security check out in to T2, not T1.

As already explained several times Dublin Airport is effectively an airport with four piers that can be accessed from both landside terminals.

The delineation of terminals by airline is for check-in and baggage handling purposes. In other words all Aer Lingus flights are handled through Terminal 2. Splitting handling between the two terminals for individual airlines would be costlier as it would require unnecessary duplication of staff and facilities.

Due to the need to keep stands at the 4XX pier free for arriving transatlantic aircraft early in the morning before the first wave of Aer Lingus short haul flights depart, roughly six to eight Aer Lingus short haul aircraft have to depart from either remote stands or the 3XX gates. In turn these aircraft will arrive into the 3XX gates the night before.

The fact is that the walk from the T2 security to the 3XX gates is no further than the walk from T2 security to the furthest gate on the 4XX pier.

The airport is maximising the use of all of the facilities by using all of the piers.

The ideal solution is a second short haul pier coming out from the T2 concourse but we are some way away from that right now.

737max

...and the Customer is always right. It is not a user friendly solution. I like flying in to and out of the smaller Irish airports (and I do)as none of this hassle is encountered. You are in and out, bish, bash, bosch and airports outside Ireland trade on their user friendliness too e.g. London City.

737max

Marcusm wrote: »

The hire cars on airport are generally reserved for loyalty club members - these are generally free to join. When I have been asked to inspect in darkness, I have simply insisted on them driving it into the light.

Thanks. checking this out now. ordered one card already. I will see if it works. Budget car hire don't appear to have a loyalty program but the rest of the usual suspects do. I'll see if it helps to make the experience more pleasant.
I've had to help foreigners get to the shuttles and explain that they have to pay their M50 toll because the staff on the Counters just blurt it out to them not caring if they understand or not.

Dardania

737max wrote: »

Marcusm wrote: »

The hire cars on airport are generally reserved for loyalty club members - these are generally free to join. When I have been asked to inspect in darkness, I have simply insisted on them driving it into the light.

Thanks. checking this out now. ordered one card already. I will see if it works. Budget car hire don't appear to have a loyalty program but the rest of the usual suspects do. I'll see if it helps to make the experience more pleasant.
I've had to help foreigners get to the shuttles and explain that they have to pay their M50 toll because the staff on the Counters just blurt it out to them not caring if they understand or not.

In DFW all car hire is done by shuttle bus, which is run by the airport every 5mins. And the car comes with an etag type thing for ease of life. They have implemented it correctly I think...

LXFlyer

737max wrote: »

...and the Customer is always right. It is not a user friendly solution. I like flying in to and out of the smaller Irish airports (and I do)as none of this hassle is encountered. You are in and out, bish, bash, bosch and airports outside Ireland trade on their user friendliness too e.g. London City.

Given that this only happens at one time of the day (late night arrivals and early morning departures) it does make sense to consolidate airline handling operations into one single terminal for handling purposes. Otherwise, as I say you end up with extra staff and handling costs (leading to higher fares) and frankly unnecessary confusion among passengers. In terms of airports, it is far better than things are kept as simple as possible. Keeping the airlines to a single terminal makes it far simpler for everyone.

All people see when they go through security is a gate number which they then follow the signs for, which are signposted throughout both terminals.

Dublin isn't a small airport. Comparing it to a smaller Irish airport or to London City is ludicrous.

737max

lxflyer wrote: »

Dublin isn't a small airport. Comparing it to a smaller Irish airport is ludicrous

I compare it to a smaller Irish airport every time I make a purchasing decision to visit Ireland . Nothing ludicrous about that.

LXFlyer

737max wrote: »

I compare it to a smaller Irish airport every time I make a purchasing decision to visit Ireland . Nothing ludicrous about that.

Making comments about the airport facilities, such as the airline handling, and comparing it to small airports is daft - they are totally different.

Dublin is a large international airport (with capacity constraints) - no other airport in Ireland (or indeed London City) are remotely comparable in terms of the size, demand or facilities required.

What exactly is the "hassle" in using the 3XX gates at Dublin from T2 security - the walk is shorter than that from T1 security to the 1XX gates (which thousands of Ryanair passengers do every day), and is the same as the walk from T2 security to gate 426 at the end of the 4XX gates.

You're making a mountain out of a molehill here.

737max

lxflyer wrote: »

Making comments about the airport facilities, such as the airline handling, and comparing it to small airports is daft - they are totally different.

Dublin is a large international airport and with many capacity constraints - no other airport in Ireland (or indeed London City) are remotely comparable in terms of the size, demand or facilities required.

...and the Customer is always right and spends their money where they please.
if someone who isn't answerable to anyone decides that a passenger has to walk the best part of a km to a less pleasant gate by a non-optimal route then the Customer has the power to decide to spend their money elsewhere in future; This concept is so simple that I don't understand why it isn't registering with you.

737max

lxflyer wrote: »

You're making a mountain out of a molehill here.

I think you'll find a molehill is many orders of magnitude smaller than the distances involved in walking to terminals at Dublin airport.
I know what a molehill looks like. I see them most every day.

LXFlyer

737max wrote: »

...and the Customer is always right and spends their money where they please.
if someone who isn't answerable to anyone decides that a passenger has to walk the best part of a km to a less pleasant gate by a non-optimal route then the Customer has the power to decide to spend their money elsewhere in future; This concept is so simple that I don't understand why it isn't registering with you.

What is registering with me is the reality that at certain times of the day Dublin Airport has serious capacity constraints and that what might be the optimum solution isn't always possible.

Do you seriously think operating roughly 8 Aer Lingus flights or so from T1 facilities isn't going to cause confusion among departing passengers and those coming to meet the arriving flights when every other Aer Lingus flight goes from T2? What flight uses the 3XX gates can change on a daily basis.

It's a case of keeping it simple.

But of course - no one is forcing you to fly Aer Lingus or from Dublin if you don't want to.

You can fly Ryanair and have an even longer walk.

With respect, you really are expecting small airport facilities at a major international airport - that's asking an awful lot.

737max

What's registering with me is that "capacity constraints" is the Dublin Airport equivalent of "Leaves on the line" which results in people choosing an alternative for future transport where possible.

LXFlyer

737max wrote: »

What's registering with me is that "capacity constraints" is the Dublin Airport equivalent of "Leaves on the line" which results in people choosing an alternative for future flights where possible.

The vast majority of the people using Dublin Airport don't have an alternative airport.

737max

That's a very monopolistic way to look at things, now isn't it.
Your sympathies obviously lie with the monopolist and not the travelling public.

MJohnston

The average customer doesn't care about these things - they care about airport proximity, cheap flights, fast check-in and security lines, and a place to have a bit of food.

If walking distances were a problem, Heathrow would be a ghost town in favour of other London airports.

LXFlyer

737max wrote: »

That's a very monopolistic way to look at things, now isn't it.
Your sympathies obviously lie with the monopolist and not the travelling public.

Well it's the reality that it's the only airport serving the largest city in Ireland, from where, together with surrounding counties, most of its passengers will come from.

Or have you some practical alternative airports for residents of Dublin and surrounding counties? If you do, I'm dying to know about it.

I tend to take a realistic and practical view of things, and try to understand why things happen a particular way rather than coming up with some over the top reactions.

Until there are more stands available at T2, there isn't going to be a change to this. It has happened since Aer Lingus moved their handling facilities fully into T2 - it's nothing new.

737max

MJohnston wrote: »

they care about airport proximity, cheap flights, fast check-in and security lines

as do I and other airports in Ireland do deliver on those points.
Food and alcohol is a non-issue for me.

Noxegon

lxflyer wrote: »

Do you seriously think operating roughly 8 Aer Lingus flights or so from T1 facilities isn't going to cause confusion among departing passengers and those coming to meet the arriving flights when every other Aer Lingus flight goes from T2?

That happens throughout the world where airports are at or close to capacity.

BA, for example, operates a number of flights from Terminal 3 at LHR.
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/10/13/ba-terminal-3-departures/

Just a thought.

Tenger

737max wrote: »

as do I and other airports in Ireland do deliver on those points.
Food and alcohol is a non-issue for me.

Then you can happily use SNN and ORK.

DUB has its issues but as you can perhaps guess from the media coverage of the new runway and the possible new terminal....Dublin airport is working to deal with its capacity issues. However this will eventually make it a bigger airport, which apparently you do not like.
I was in Amsterdam Schipol last June and I had to walk 45 minutes to get to my gate, it was very clearly marked but still was at the very end of the pier. I didnt complain,as I booked the flight therefore I took the results of my decision.

737max

lxflyer wrote: »

for residents of Dublin and surrounding counties?

That's selective isn't it?
All those tourists coming in to the country who may not even be staying in Dublin during their visit or all us great unwashed culchies.

My comments are based on the experience of flying in to Dublin as someone living overseas as opposed to someone living in the vicinity of Dublin as their local airport who has learnt all of its maddening eccentricities over the years and isn't subjected to the parts which don't work well like Car hire or public transport as family pick them up and drop them off.

LXFlyer

Noxegon wrote: »

That happens throughout the world where airports are at or close to capacity.

BA, for example, operates a number of flights from Terminal 3 at LHR.
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/10/13/ba-terminal-3-departures/

Just a thought.

They do it on a destination basis at Heathrow all day long.

Aer Lingus only need to do this for the first wave of departing flights in the morning (and consequently late night arrivals) - after that everything can go from the 4XX gates.

It's a tiny minority of the flights operated every day - really this is being blown out of proportion here.

737max

Tenger wrote: »

Then you can happily use SNN and ORK.

or Kerry or even Knock at a push.

LXFlyer

737max wrote: »

That's selective isn't it?
All those tourists coming in to the country who may not even be staying in Dublin during their visit or all us great unwashed culchies.

My comments are based on the experience of flying in to Dublin as someone living overseas as opposed to someone living in the vicinity of Dublin as their local airport who has learnt all of its maddening eccentricities over the years.

I think it is a realistic comment.

But clearly you know better.

737max

lxflyer wrote: »

I think it is a realistic comment.

But clearly you know better.

I've explained my position and why I know better about the issues that I and others not resident in the Country and not travelling to Dublin as a final destination experience but you discount them as they don't personally affect you so let them eat cake.

LXFlyer

737max wrote: »

I've explained my position and why I know better about the issues that I and others not resident in the Country and not travelling to Dublin as a final destination experience but you discount them as they don't personally affect you so let them eat cake.

With respect you don't know where I live or the first thing about me.

And it can affect me as I do fly from Dublin Airport, I do use Aer Lingus, but frankly the walk from T2 security to the 3XX gates wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

I've walked far further in large international airports abroad.

I think you are exaggerating the impact that this will have on most people - I very much doubt the majority of people will get as exercised about it as yourself. Most people will have had the same experience as myself abroad.

But if it bothers you that much then perhaps you should use a different airport.

Cookiemunster

737max wrote: »

What's registering with me is that "capacity constraints" is the Dublin Airport equivalent of "Leaves on the line" which results in people choosing an alternative for future transport where possible.

There isn't an alternative for the vast majority of passengers. Why? Because Dub is a major airport with hundreds of destinations. SNN and ORK aren't and have about 20 destinations each.

And despite what you believe, the customer in NOT always right. If they were nothing would work smoothly.

737max

lxflyer wrote: »

But if it bothers you that much then perhaps you should use a different airport.

I do, I do regularly. Monopolistic Dublin Airport doesn't care about losing custom. As the airport suits itself, so do I.

737max

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Dub is a major airport with hundreds of destinations. SNN and ORK aren't and have about 20 destinations each.

Those destinations overlap mostly with the destinations from Dublin which are mostly heavily travelled.

JCX BXC

737max wrote: »

I do, I do regularly. Monopolistic Dublin Airport doesn't care about losing custom. As the airport suits itself, so do I.

Yet its rated as one of the highest rated airports in Europe?

737max

Carnacalla wrote: »

Yet its rated as one of the highest rated airports in Europe?

are you one of those people who has to be told how to think or do you try to form opinions by yourself?

JCX BXC

737max wrote: »

are you one of those people who has to be told how to think or do you try to form opinions by yourself?

You need to calm down and realise the world isn't after you.

I've used Dublin Airport three times this year and will be using it again next month, each time the experience in DUB has been MUCH better than the experience on the other side.